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Tadiana ✩Night Owl�'s Reviews > The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
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Tadiana ✩Night Owl�'s review
bookshelves: classics, england, kindle-freebie, mars-is-heaven, science-fiction, victorian, horror
Feb 08, 2014
bookshelves: classics, england, kindle-freebie, mars-is-heaven, science-fiction, victorian, horror
Read 2 times. Last read February 1, 2018 to February 3, 2018.
This classic 1898 science fiction novel has teeth to it, and it’s not just the Martians. The War of the Worlds is a lot more thoughtfully written than I had remembered. In between deadly heat rays, huge tripod machines striding around the country killing everything in their path, and bloodthirsty Martians trying to take over Earth (starting with Great Britain), there's also critique of colonialism, religious hypocrisy, and even how humans treat animals. The ways in which people react in a crisis is given just as much attention as the Martians' actions.
I read this when I was a teenager, but for whatever reason I didn’t get much out of it at the time. But I let myself get roped into a GR group read of it, partly because it's so short. And also because my literary diet needs more classics. And you know? I'm glad I did.
Upping my rating from 3 stars to 4.5 on reread, partly in recognition of how advanced this book was for its time in some of its concepts, and the influence it's had on the SF genre.
Group read with the Non-Crunchy Classics Pantaloonless crew.
I read this when I was a teenager, but for whatever reason I didn’t get much out of it at the time. But I let myself get roped into a GR group read of it, partly because it's so short. And also because my literary diet needs more classics. And you know? I'm glad I did.
Upping my rating from 3 stars to 4.5 on reread, partly in recognition of how advanced this book was for its time in some of its concepts, and the influence it's had on the SF genre.
Group read with the Non-Crunchy Classics Pantaloonless crew.
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The War of the Worlds.
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Reading Progress
1980
–
Started Reading
1980
–
Finished Reading
February 8, 2014
– Shelved
February 1, 2018
–
Started Reading
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
classics
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
england
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
kindle-freebie
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
mars-is-heaven
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
February 1, 2018
– Shelved as:
victorian
February 2, 2018
–
28.0%
"The decapitated colossus reeled like a drunken giant; but it did not fall over... The living intelligence, the Martian within the hood, was slain and splashed to the four winds of heaven, and the Thing was now but a mere intricate device of metal whirling to destruction."
February 3, 2018
–
64.0%
"“The fifth cylinder,� I whispered, “the fifth shot from Mars, has struck this house and buried us under the ruins!�
For a time the curate was silent, and then he whispered: “God have mercy upon us!�"
For a time the curate was silent, and then he whispered: “God have mercy upon us!�"
February 3, 2018
–
86.0%
""There’s the ants builds their cities, live their lives, have wars, revolutions, until the men want them out of the way, and then they go out of the way. That’s what we are now—just ants. Only—�
“Yes,� I said.
“We’re eatable ants.�"
“Yes,� I said.
“We’re eatable ants.�"
February 3, 2018
– Shelved as:
horror
February 3, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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Feb 02, 2018 06:48PM
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I'm only about a third of the way in. So far so good, though!
Tadiana ✩Night Owl� wrote: "I'm only about a third of the way in. So far so good, though!":)
Carmen wrote: "Yay! Glad you enjoyed it."I did, a lot more than I expected. :)
Ditto a school read, but knew of Orson's radio scare. I love H.G. like Dickens - he had style & could illicit the imagination. Time Machine is still my favorite book & Wells movie!
Veda wrote: "Ditto a school read, but knew of Orson's radio scare. I love H.G. like Dickens - he had style & could illicit the imagination. Time Machine is still my favorite book & Wells movie!"One of these times I'll try reading The Time Machine again. It's been many years!
I am not so much into sci-fi as I am into the history and civilization but science fiction movies attract me. 1984 is one example. The book is great and far advance in concept back then when it was written yet, dry! These ideas are more fascinating on screen for me. Well, my take on this is that Martians or for that matter any extraterrestrial species are quite happy and content with what they have. It’s only us who are poking them.
Aijazz wrote: "I am not so much into sci-fi as I am into the history and civilization but science fiction movies attract me. 1984 is one example. The book is great and far advance in concept back then when it was..."Yes, which is one of the things I love about the 'In Death' series of JD Robb (along w/ kick butt Lt. Eve Dallas etc) set in the future of NYC - after the War to end all Wars - � it out (for the history & civilization element.) 1984 (another school read) agreed - for its time, but the
"Martians or for that matter any extraterrestrial species..."
Check out original 'Twilight Zone' [Episode 24, circa 1962]
'To Serve Man' because "they" [extraterrestrials] didn't get that! Happy reading & 📚 hunting Aijazz!
Katie wrote: "Great review, Tadiana. This is next on my list. Want to read it before the new BBC adaptation airs."New BBC version? Thanks for the heads up!
It's a period adaptation i.e. actual Victorian times. I'm so excited!
Curious that it's the first British adaptation, I didn't know that
I was not impressed with this book as a teen. Now I’m tempted to give it another try to see if I appreciate it more the second time around. Who knows, maybe it’s not a book that should be read as a teen.
Certainly the deeper elements in this book TOTALLY went over my head when I read this as a teen! I doubt they made it into Orson Welles� broadcast either. 😄
